Search - Stephane Grappelli :: Live in London

Steph at his best

Rod Saunders | Tulsa, Ok | 03/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Recorded at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in November 1973, this live performance captures Grappelli in his prime at age 65. Most players peak in their thirties or forties. Grappelli was at his best in his sixties and seventies. Whether that was due to the style that he played or to the renewed interest in his music that no doubt inspired him I don't know, but he was playing noticeably better as he entered retirement age (although he never really retired). He also seemed to play better in front of a crowd than in a studio, which is another advantage to this recording.With Diz Dizley and Denny Wright on acoustic guitars and Len Skeat on bass, this is the closest I've heard to the sound of the original Hot Club Quintet with Django Reinhardt. You even hear the 4/4 guitar rhythms of the HCQ at times. This performance was shortly after the rebirth of Grappelli's career beginning when he met and played with Dizley at the Cambridge Folk Music Festival earlier in '73. Later on he brought Martin Taylor into his band to play electric guitar, which created a better background group in my opinion. The weakest part of this lineup was the solo guitar work, which Taylor was and is so exceptional with.The highlight in my opinion is track #6 - Manor De Mes Reves/Daphne by Reinhardt - which features classic Grappelli ... hot fiddling, harmonics wizardry, and ingenious improvisation. Those features aren't missing in the other cuts of course. Stephane finds yet more ways to play standards like Misty, Satin Doll, and Sweet Georgia Brown. Like the deadheads with their trading of bootleg recordings, there's always something new and fun to hear in a live Grappelli recording for true fans. Highly recommended."